Water supply from Mudasarlova, the city’s oldest reservoir, is set to resume after repairs are carried out to the infiltration gallery with a cost of Rs. 52 lakh.
The park spread over 12 acres has a total of 17 traditional wells from which water flows into the gallery. Besides, water is also drawn from the reservoir into the gallery. Passing through the infiltration gallery, the water gets into two collection wells, and from one of them it is pumped into an elevated service reservoir of 500 KL capacity at Arilova.
The reservoir, with 1 million gallons per day (mgd) capacity, caters to about 6,000 households, including public taps and direct supply to hill-slope areas at Arilova, in wards one and two, and bulk supply to the Central Jail and apartments. In all, 15 tankers also carry water to the hill-slopes.
The city’s first reservoir was supposed to have been constructed by the British in 1901. Following successive cyclones and heavy rains, the infiltration gallery was damaged about one-and-a-half years ago, requiring repairs for restoration, say sources.
With the supply from the reservoir not available, alternate day supply was resorted to the areas under it. However, during summer, water was pumped from the TSR Complex to the Endada facility of the GVMC, restoring daily supply. Though the contract was awarded, the agency executing repairs could not do it in the stipulated time, it was learnt. It was cancelled and awarded again on an assurance that it would be completed in two months.
The delay is partly attributed to paucity of sand. Fine sand from Rajahmundry is required for the layers in the gallery, and owing to its non-availability it could not be done, it is learnt.
